1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 963 Imperial Order
On March 1680, 3, southeast of Chang'an, Zhongliang Mountain (now Mount Tabletop, 21 kilometers southeast of Toowoomba, Australia).

"seal up!"

With the shout of the ceremony officer, the huge stone gates on both sides of the mausoleum slowly closed. Qi Zerui, the eldest son of King Ying (Qi Dajiang), prostrated himself in front of the mausoleum, kowtowed for the last three times, and was immediately picked up by others, looking at the vast tomb with a sad face. Mausoleum.

"Ten years ago, the elder brother passed away. Now, the second elder brother has also passed away..." Qi Tian looked towards the direction of the mausoleum with a gloomy expression, and there was a faint sadness between his brows.

"Your Majesty, please mourn." Grand Prince Qi Ping, Gendarmerie Commander, Hussar General (Admiral) Qi Dalu comforted softly: "Second brother passed away at a rare age, and received a generous gift from His Majesty, and the ceremony is the same as that of a prince. I am extremely sad and honored. Your Majesty even disregarded the royal etiquette and personally buried the second brother.... If the second brother knows the truth, he should be grateful to His Majesty for his great kindness."

"Third brother, the second brother has a big funeral today. You and I only talk about relatives and don't need to talk about etiquette." Qi Tian looked at Qi Dalu and sighed slightly. The greatest fairness in this world, no matter whether it is an emperor or a commoner, no one can escape the final fate."

"Your Majesty..." Qi Dalu looked at the emperor worriedly, "Your Majesty is in good health, with few hidden diseases, and with a little maintenance and training, he will surely live a long life."

"Longevity?" Qi Tian smiled, "But in the end, ashes return to ashes, dust returns to dust, and become one with heaven and earth."

"But..., but..., Your Majesty has left a huge empire for future generations, which will be remembered forever by the world. His Majesty's name will surely last forever, even if you die, you will still live."

"There are no immortals in this world, and there is no eternal empire. Perhaps, hundreds of years behind us, unscrupulous descendants will destroy all the foundations we have worked so hard to build. It is not impossible. "

"Your Majesty..." Qi Dalu felt that the emperor seemed to be in a very low mood today, but he was clumsy with his tongue and didn't know how to persuade and comfort him.

"You said, life is only a hundred years, why do we worry about things so far away?" Qi Tian smiled self-deprecatingly, and patted Qi Dalu on the shoulder, "I remember a European emperor once said such a sentence, I die Afterwards, no matter the torrential flood. Although this sentence sounds silly, but his mentality is enviable. If you have wine today, you will be drunk today, and you will worry about it tomorrow."

"..." Seeing His Majesty's quick adjustment of mentality, Qi Dalu felt a little overwhelmed for a moment. After a while, he suddenly said: "Your Majesty is a good emperor."

"Third brother, your flattering skills are a bit rough." Qi Tian looked at his own third brother playfully, "You should learn from those civil servants in the cabinet, how to make people look good without making a fuss." I feel that the majesty of the emperor and the wise actions can prevent them from appearing to be too sycophant, leaving a bit of a civil servant's strength."

"...Your Majesty, no matter what, in my mind, you are a good emperor." Qi Dalu said solemnly: "In your Majesty's heart, are you somewhat dissatisfied with the cabinet?"

"A few days ago, the cabinet approved the annual military budget of the military department." Qi Tian stood on the top of the mountain, looking at the scattered villages and farmland in the distance, and said softly: "Although it is not the original 3000 million budget target, the scale It also reached 700 million yuan, which fully accounted for 30.00% of the fiscal revenue. [-]. They could have withstood the pressure from the military department and suppressed the entire military budget again."

"Then why..."

"Because Shou Xun has won the support of the crown prince."

"Your Majesty, do you think the military expenditure... is too high?"

"Actually, not only the military department, but also other ministries of the cabinet seem to be spending more and more money nowadays." Qi Tian sneered, "You know, the annual military expenditure of the Kingdom of England is about 300 million pounds, which is equivalent to only 900 in silver. Ten thousand taels, they maintain more than one hundred warships, ranking second in Europe in terms of sea power. Not to mention, they still maintain more than ten thousand taels of army. The Kingdom of France spends about 1000 million taels on the navy every year , it will be able to rapidly increase its naval strength, and there is a faint tendency to catch up with Britain and the Netherlands."

"Then our navy has a military budget of more than 2000 million, and our naval power should exceed the sum of Britain, France and the Netherlands!?" Qi Dalu was stunned.

"The Navy does so much that a soldier shouldn't be doing."

"Your Majesty is referring to... corruption in the navy?" Qi Dalu asked in a deep voice.

"It may not be all corruption." Qi Tian shook his head and said: "The Navy has dozens of overseas exclusive bases and ports. In recent years, they have been carrying out large-scale infrastructure construction, plus daily material reserves, basic maintenance , and some corresponding people's livelihood management, which are all very huge expenses. The amount of money spent is enough to support several large fleets. In addition, the Navy's research and development and testing of various advanced equipment regardless of cost, and It far exceeds the daily actual combat drills of European navies. Compared with other countries, our Qi navy is really burning money!"

"After a few years, the construction of those ports and bases will be completed, and the entire military expenditure will naturally come down."

"Anything, from frugality to extravagance is easy, and from extravagance to frugality is extremely difficult." Qi Tian shook his head, "As the head of the military department, Shouxun's intention is to spend the entire military expenditure in the next ten years. The size is maintained at more than 2000 million, so that in the shortest possible time, the size of the empire's navy has been raised to the "two strong" standard.... He seems to be too eager for success."

"Why didn't His Majesty stop it?"

"Because the prince wants to do the same."

"..." Qi Dalu listened, and immediately kept silent.
-
On March 3th, the Palace of Taichu.

The prince, as the crown prince of the country, the emperor's appointed successor to the empire, has great influence and a very prominent position.However, in the era of autocratic monarchy, the emperor is the ninety-five king, the only supreme power holder.When the emperor was in office, most of the princes did not have any real power. Even if they did, the power they possessed would generally be greatly restricted.

What's more, the suspicious emperor will always be on guard against the prince's coup and usurp power.Under the great temptation of the imperial power, no one can be calm.From the Han Dynasty, to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, to the Song and Yuan Dynasties, it has never been uncommon for palace curtains to undergo catastrophic changes due to the seizure of power by princes and emperors.Countless princes fell in the darkness before dawn and became stepping stones for others. Such incidents are too numerous to enumerate.

However, there are exceptions to everything, and there have been princes who were deeply trusted by the emperor and gained great power in history.Zhu Biao, the eldest son of Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty, is considered the most powerful prince among all the princes in the past dynasties.

And Qi Zixing, the prince of Qi, may also be counted as one.Since he was five years old, he has been established as the prince, and his status has never been shaken.Since childhood, he has been carefully cultivated and supported by His Majesty the Emperor, and has given him unlimited trust.

After graduating from the military academy, Qi Zixing joined the navy and became familiar with military affairs and the sea for three years.

At the age of 21, he left the army, and then started from the most basic village colonization, township management and other affairs, experienced various local people's livelihood construction and other close-to-people affairs, and deeply understood the life at the bottom.

In the third year of Yue, he served as the magistrate of Heishan County, Jianye Prefecture, and personally took charge of the economy and people's livelihood of the place; two years later, he moved to the prefect of Chang'an, Gyeonggi Province, to supervise the construction of the imperial city and various government offices.

After the empire moved the capital, the prince went to the various cabinet ministries to assist in the affairs of the various ministries, so as to familiarize himself with the specific operation and operating procedures of the government.

In the fifth year of Hanxing (1675), the prince entered the cabinet center, participated in the formulation and planning of major national policies, fully exercised and practiced his governance level, and cultivated the ability to do practical things.

If His Majesty the Emperor goes out to inspect places, he will also leave the prince to supervise the country, temporarily exercise the power of the emperor, take charge of the huge empire, and ensure the normal operation of the country, which shows the emperor's greatest trust in the prince.

What is even more unbelievable is that even in normal times, the emperor would let the prince supervise the country from time to time, and leave all affairs to the prince to make personal decisions.His Majesty the Emperor earnestly hopes to take this opportunity to improve the prince's ability to handle political affairs.

During this period, although the emperor was also in charge of the key government affairs of the empire, he only made necessary corrections and changes when the development direction of the empire deviated. It can be said that in recent years, the emperor has hardly dealt with specific government affairs. Arranged for the prince.

You know, Qi Zixing is only a prince at this time, but he can make decisions. Unlike other princes in the empire, who need to be submissive when facing his father, Qi Zixing has a honest and tolerant personality, perseverance in doing things, and even dared to fight for his own opinion. Arguing with His Majesty the Emperor reflects that the Prince has greater autonomy and power.

"His Royal Highness." After Qi Yuanshan entered the main hall, he bowed slightly to the prince who was behind the case, and then stood with his hands down, waiting for the prince to speak.

"Duke Ning, please sit down." The prince smiled and stretched out his hand to signal Qi Yuanshan to sit down, and asked the waiter to serve tea.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is so honorable, I never thought that the tea served for the guests is our local Gaoping tea from Hanzhou." Qi Yuanshan took a sip from the teacup, and then said with a smile.

"I have been cultivating local tea in Hanzhou for more than [-] years. Whether it is taste, color, or tea aroma, it is not as good as the tea produced in the mainland. Low-grade and low-quality tea." The prince couldn't help laughing when he heard this, "However, as far as I am concerned, because I am not good at drinking tea, I can't tell the good from the bad, so I can deal with it. In this way, I have neglected Duke Ning. "

"It's okay. It's 40 years ago, let alone drinking good tea or bad tea, even the stomach can't be filled for a long time. These days, it's getting better and better."

"Yes, life is getting better and better, but people's hearts are getting more and more greedy." The prince said softly: "There are more than 30 officials in Yunyang Mansion (now Mackay, Australia). In a short period of time, more than 20 Hanzhou silver dollars can be corrupted, so that the development of the local people's livelihood has stagnated, and countless people's lives have fallen into dire straits."

"Your Highness, you don't need to worry too much." Qi Yuanshan said in relief: "Dozens of corrupt officials and subordinates have indeed caused the worst impact on the local area, but it will not make the lives of the people miserable. At present, the most important thing is to select as soon as possible. Officials who are eligible to take up their posts will restore the order of production and life in the local area. In the end, the corrupt officials should be dealt with severely and severely according to the laws of our Daqi.”

Qi Yuanshan was formerly the deputy prime minister of the cabinet and the secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. In terms of qualifications, ability, and even close relationship with the emperor, he should have succeeded to the position of prime minister after the former prime minister Zhang Wenqi left office.

However, during the decades of operation of the Qi cabinet government, and in accordance with the principle of power checks and balances first planned by His Majesty the Emperor, there is an unwritten rule that members of the royal family are generally not allowed to be in charge of the cabinet and become prime ministers.

As a member of the quasi-royal family, Qi Yuanshan has become a deputy prime minister and a cabinet minister, which is already a political crossing the line. Therefore, he can only regret that he stops at the edge of the highest power, and finally transfers to the newly established post of director of the Overwatch Council.

The Supervisory Yuan is an institution split from Dali Temple. It is also independent of the cabinet and is responsible to the emperor. It is similar to the Metropolitan Procuratorate in the pre-Ming Dynasty. Officials of public power, subordinate officials and other government personnel conduct supervision, investigate government violations and government crimes, carry out clean governance and anti-corruption work, maintain the normal order of the empire's rule and ensure the smooth operation of the state apparatus.

After Qi Yuanshan took office as the Overwatch Council, the first case he handled was the Yunyang Mansion, which had a poor reputation in both political and business administrations in recent years. He quickly dug out a governor, three county governors, and more than 30 others from it. Corrupt officials shook the entire officialdom of Qi.

The prince summoned Qi Yuanshan today, probably to intervene in this matter, or to put forward his opinion on how to deal with it.

"According to our laws and regulations, how will these corrupt officials and subordinates be punished?"

"Hu Jinduo, the prefect of Yunyang, embezzled state funds and accepted more than [-] yuan in bribes from unscrupulous businessmen. During the administration of the local government, he bent the law for personal gain and disturbed the normal promotion system of officials, causing extremely bad political influence in the entire Yunyang Prefecture. Our Supervisory Council has suggested in accordance with the law, The death penalty should be imposed as an example to others. The rest of the officials, big and small, should be sentenced to hard labor and exile after confiscating their property."

"Hu Jinduo, after the elders of Dengzhou, can you spare your life?"

"Did Hu Pingjiang ask His Highness to come here?" Qi Yuanshan sighed slightly, his brows wrinkled involuntarily.

"The Marquis of Qing Ping is very old, but he has to face the pain of losing his son, which is really embarrassing." The prince said softly: "So, can there be a leeway to save Hu Jinduo's life and exile him to a remote place?"

"His Royal Highness, a little leniency under the laws and regulations is not uncommon for my great Qi, and it is also necessary for your highness to respect you." Qi Yuanshan said: "But your highness must bear in mind one thing, my great Qi and the previous dynasties govern the country. It’s different. Those who rely on are the millions of people of Daqi, not the nobles and nobles with three or two surnames. The defeat of the Ming Dynasty in the past can be used as a lesson!”

"Duke Ning, I have been taught alone." Prince Qi Zixing stood tall and bowed his hands solemnly to Qi Yuanshan.

"I dare not be a prince's gift." Qi Yuanshan quickly stood up and bowed deeply to the prince.

"I have something to remind Your Highness." When he was about to leave, Qi Yuanshan hesitated to speak.

"But it's okay to talk." The prince said with a smile: "On the public, you are an important minister of the empire. On the private, you are my cousin, so you should know everything."

"Your Highness, although you often act on behalf of His Majesty in state affairs, you are still temporarily the heir of the country. You must stick to your position and don't... cross the line, so as not to lose your sacred heart."

"..." The prince looked at Qi Yuanshan suspiciously, "What do you mean by that?"

"For the military, His Highness should not show favors to win their hearts."

"...Thank you, Duke Ning!" The prince came to his senses in horror, and solemnly saluted Qi Yuanshan again.

(End of this chapter)